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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Avacta Group plc

("Avacta" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Capital Access Window

LONDON and PHILADELPHIA - September 30, 2026 - Avacta Therapeutics (AIM: AVCT), a life sciences company developing innovative, targeted oncology drugs, announces its intention to utilise AIM's new Capital Access Window rule in connection with a proposed equity capital raise (the "Proposed Fundraise").

Intention to undertake an equity capital raise

Avacta recently announced clinical proof of mechanism for AVA6103, its next-generation controlled-release pre|CISION^® peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) platform in the ongoing phase 1 FOCUS-01 trial. The datasets presented by the Company greatly increases the Board's confidence that the safety profile, tumor selectivity and antitumor efficacy observed in the preclinical studies of AVA6103 will translate into the clinic.

As previously announced the Company currently has a cash runway into early Q1 2027 and is continuing discussions with potential partners on the Next Gen assets. With the clinical proof of mechanism for AVA6103 enhancing Avacta's partnering position, the Company is progressing an equity fundraise to increase its cash runway further into 2027 to further strengthen this position.

These additional funds would allow Avacta to progress AVA6103 (first Next Gen pre|CISION asset), continue the trials of AVA6000 (pre|CISION Gen One) and continue AVA6207 (second Next Gen asset, dual payloads) towards Phase 1 trials.  

Capital Access Window

Following the updates to the AIM Rules for Companies announced in August 2026, to support the Proposed Fundraise, the Company will enter a Capital Access Window with effect from 7.30am BST today. This is a voluntary temporary pause in the trading of the Company's shares on AIM to make it easier to reach a broader range of investors, and to provide pricing stability during a fundraise. The Capital Access Window will remain in place until a further announcement is made detailing the results of the Proposed Fundraise.

The Company will host an investor presentation of the Interim Results in the near future via Investor Meet.  Details will be forthcoming. 

This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities in any jurisdiction. The Proposed Fundraise, if implemented, will be the subject of further announcements, which will include the material terms and conditions of the Proposed Fundraise.

For further information from Avacta, please contact:

About Avacta - https://avacta.com/

Avacta Therapeutics is a clinical-stage life sciences company expanding the reach of highly potent cancer therapies through its proprietary pre|CISION^® platform. pre|CISION^® is a payload delivery system based on a tumor-specific protease (Fibroblast Activation Protein or FAP) that is designed to concentrate highly potent payloads in the tumor microenvironment while sparing normal tissues. Avacta's innovative pre|CISION^® peptide drug conjugates (PDC) are a novel entry to the XDC drug class, leveraging the success of antibody drug conjugates with alternative methods of delivery beyond antibodies.

Our pre|CISION^® PDCs leverage this tumor-specific release mechanism in a small molecule format to provide unique benefits over traditional antibody drug conjugates (ADC), releasing active payload in the tumor and reducing systemic exposure and toxicity which enables dosing to be optimized to deliver the best outcomes for patients. The lead clinical program is AVA6103, a Next Generation FAP-enabled controlled release pre|CISION^® version of exatecan that delivers the payload directly in the tumor with limited peripheral blood exposure and is currently in clinical development as a treatment for tumor types sensitive to exatecan including cervical cancer, HR+ breast cancer, small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. 

About FAP-Exd (AVA6103)

AVA6103 is the second clinical candidate and is the first asset in the pipeline based on the Next Generation innovative pre|CISION^® controlled release mechanism that provides for prolonged release of payload directly in the tumor, minimizing systemic exposure. AVA6103 is being evaluated in the FOCUS-01 Phase 1 trial (FAP-Exd in Oncologic Cancers with Unmet needS). Preclinical data suggest this approach has optimized payload delivery with a high intratumoral concentration and prolonged exposure of released payload in the tumor, coupled with limited systemic exposure to the released payload. 

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